Celebrities flock to back local council in school closure

Paul McCartney and Beyonce are two of the latest international celebrities to put their names in support of the decision by Wandsworth Council to close St Drogo Primary School in Battersea.

The school, which has been open since 1963, has been marked for closure by the Council due to budget cuts despite a strong local campaign by parents and staff to save it. Local campaigners are said to be "frustrated" by the lack of support. Initially, Ashley Knight, who played the young Ken in 'Metal Mickey' had tweeted a message backing the campaign to save the school, but has since deleted the tweet claiming it was "an error".

Last night Paul McCartney joined dozens of celebrities who have been backing the decision to axe the school by saying "In these times of financial hardship, it's the only prudent decision.". These comments echo other celebrity endorsements, including Bono, who called it "Tough, but necessary", and Rita Ora, who last week tweeted "Good luck Wandsworth Council, ignore the haterz".

Twitter has been trending with #goodluckwandsworth and #goodbyedrogo for over a week since the news broke. Last night, Beyonce announced to her 49 million Facebook fans that her "heart was with the brave Wandsworth Councillors in this difficult time."

A JustGiving page has been started to raise money to hire a wrecking team for the demolition.